Around 537, 000 farmers in Zambia have started receiving inputs under E-voucher, said Martin Mtonga, e-governance permanent secretary of Zambia
The number represents 53 per cent of the one million farmers who are targeted to receive this benefit in the farming season 2017-2018.
According to Times of Zambia, the country’s finance ministry has released US$10mn to make payment for the banks for the entire process.
Mtonga said to the source that the irregularities relating to the process had been resolved, with 10,000 to 15,000 farmers redeeming their cards everyday. He further added that about 80 per cent of the targeted farmers were expected to be reached soon.
The source further reported that during featuring a programme on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), the Zambian government has formed a team of six people, which is working 24 hours every day to make the project a success.
The Zambian government developed two financial institutions, aiming to assist farmers to pay offline and immediately access farming inputs, as reported by the source.
The initiative is in line with the Zambian government’s aim to spread the e-governance service across the country and to ensure that farmers receive their inputs on time.
